Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Klint Finley, Wired; Telco-Backed Politician Wants to Restore Privacy Rules She Helped Kill"...[L]ast week Representative Blackburn, Republican chair of the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee, introduced theBROWSER Act(yes, it’s an acronym: Balancing the Rights of Web Surfers Equally and Responsibly). Not only would the bill apparently reinstate the ban on internet providers selling data without opt-in permission; it would also subject “edge providers”—websites apps, in other words—to the same restrictions.That’s right: The bill would require any internet company to get opt-in permission before sharing sensitive information such as health data, your social security number, or internet browsing history. Simply allowing users to opt out wouldn’t cut it. What’s more, companies wouldn’t be able to make opting in a requirement to use their services."